Folk Literature, Mythology & Myths

Folk Literature

• Consists of stories, legends, myths, ballads, songs, riddles, sayings, and other works
• Originates from oral traditions

Mythology

• Is a collection of myths, especially those from a specific religious or cultural background

Myth

• It is a traditional or legendary story about a being, hero, or event
• It may or may not have a basis in fact or national explanation
• It often involves deities or demigods
• Explains a practice, rite, or natural phenomenon

Anthropomorphism

• Derived from Greek, it means giving human form, characteristics, or behavior to nonhuman things

Flood Myth Patterns

• Flood myths typically involve human punishment as the cause
• The flood covers the entire land
• Few righteous people are the survivors
• A rainbow represents hope

Gilgamesh

• He is a Mesopotamian hero and the son of the goddess Ninsun
• His stories appear in Sumerian and Babylonian poems

Epic of Gilgamesh

• Sîn-lēqi-unninni
• The theme is about the meaning of life, identity, relationships, mortality, and immortality
• Enkidu is Gilgamesh's best friend
• Humbaba is the villain
• Ishtar, a goddess who liked Gilgamesh, sent a bull
• Gilgamesh asks if he will die like Enkidu, as he roams the open country with a fear of death
• Utnapishtim is who Gilgamesh consulted about immortality

The Children of Lir

• This is a Celtic tale from Ireland
• The Tuatha De Danann are the tribe
• Bodb Dearg won against Lir
• Aebh, Bodb’s daughter, was given to Lir for marriage
• Fionnuala, Aodh, Fiachra, and Conn are their children, who were turned into swans
• Aoife turned Lir's children into swans to replace Aebh
• The curse lasted 300 years on Lake Derravaragh, 300 years on the Icy Sea of Moyle, and 300 years in the Bay of Erris
• Mochua baptized the swans, turning them back into humans

Mythological Creatures

• Unicorn: Symbolizes purity and grace; can only be captured by a virgin (Celtic)
• Phoenix: A mythical bird from ancient Egypt that dies in fire only to be reborn from it
• Kitsune: Japanese folklore creature with shape-shifting abilities, often appearing as a beautiful woman
• Tengu: A mischievous supernatural being, sometimes seen as the reincarnated spirit of an arrogant person
• Tikbalang: A tall, bony creature resembling a humanoid horse
• Kapre: A Philippine mythical creature, often a tall, dark, hairy, muscular tree giant
• Aswang: A shape-shifter that turns into a large dog, cat, or pig and consumes people
• Troll: Lives in caves and turns to stone in sunlight
• Chimera: A fire-breathing creature with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail
• Fenrir: A monstrous wolf from Norse mythology
• Hydra: A serpent with nine heads
• Centaur: Half human, half horse
• Gorgons: Have snakes for hair; can turn people to stone with their gaze
• Oni: A Japanese demon
• Cerberus: A three-headed dog that guards the underworld
• Minotaur: Half human, half bull
• Jin: An Arabian mythological character who can grant wishes
• Harpy: Half human, half bird
• Griffin: Has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle
• Pegasus: A winged horse
• Banshee: Emits a loud scream and appears when a loved one is dying
• Ghoul: Is a dark scavenger
• Chupacabra: Sucks animal blood
• Kappa: Drags creatures into swamps

Tell Tales

• Are stories about extraordinary characters
• Usually funny and entertaining
• Examples: Paul Bunyan and Bernardo Carpio

Paul Bunyan

• A character in American folklore
• Known for digging the Grand Canyon

The Carabao and the Shell

• A Philippine folktale
• It involves a battle of wits between a carabao and a shell

Marduk

• He is a Mesopotamian god from the Enuma Elish
• He leads the new gods against the old gods
• After defeating the gods of chaos, he becomes a supreme god
• He creates the sky, earth, and first humans

The Monkey King

• This takes place in "Journey to the West"
• Sun Wukong is the monkey king
• Xuanzang is a Buddhist monk
• The Monkey King's journey to retrieve Buddhist scriptures shows the search for enlightenment

Egyptian Mythology

• Amun is the wind god
• Anubis has a jackal head
• Osiris is the husband of Isis
• Set killed Orisis and is Nephthys' husband

Greek Mythology

• Demeter and Persephone have a story
• Hades kidnapped Persephone
• The "death" of the world in winter symbolizes Demeter's grief for losing her daughter
• Greek myths reflect the mystery and beauty of humanity
• The Titans were a group of twelve elder gods before the Roman gods
• Titanomachy is the 10-year battle series where the Olympian gods defeated the Titans in Thessaly

Regions of the Underworld

• Tartarus: A black pit for the wicked
• Erebus: A dark region where the dead pass
• Asphodel: Numbs the minds of the dead
• Elysium: Paradise for the good

Olympians

• Zeus is the chief god, lord of the sky, rain, and cloud-gatherer, wielding the thunderbolt
• Poseidon is the lord and ruler of the sea, the Earth-shaker who carries a trident
• Hades is the ruler of the underworld and god of wealth, with a helmet of invisibility
• Demeter is the Greek goddess of harvest, grains, and agriculture, and is Persephone's mother
• Hera is the protector of marriage, a jealous goddess symbolized by a peacock
• Ares is the god of war, who loves battles, is ruthless, and is a coward
• Hermes is graceful and swift, wears winged sandals, and has a magic wand called Caduceus; he is Zeus' messenger and a master thief
• Pallas Athena is the daughter of Zeus alone and the goddess of battle and the city; Zeus favors her
• Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, and is irresistible
• Phoebus Apollo is "most Greek of all the gods" and a master musician playing a golden lyre
• Artemis is Apollo’s twin sister, lady of wild things, and hunt-man-in-chief to the gods, also known as Phoebe (moon) and Selene (Luna in Latin)
• Hestia is a virgin goddess of the hearth and symbol of the home; every meal began and ended with an offering to her
• Dionysus is the youngest Olympian, god of wine and pleasure, and the only Olympian god with a mortal mother
• Hephaestus is the god of fire, ugly and lame, the workman of the immortals, armorer and smith, and lameness of humans

Prometheus

• He was punished for stealing fire
• Forethought

Epimetheus

• Afterthought
• Pandora's husband

Io

• Turned into a Heifer

Argus

• A god with many eyes

The Iliad

• Main themes include love, honor, friendship, rivalry, free will, and fate
• The Iliad and the Odyssey are two ancient Greek epic poems written by Homer
• The Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the armies of the Achaeans
• The wedding of King Peleus and Thetis (a sea nymph) was when the Apple of Discord was given
• Eris ("Discord") was not invited to the wedding
• "Te Kallisti" (to the fairest) was a situation that put Hera (political power, control over Asia) against Athena (battle skills) vs. Aphrodite (most beautiful woman)
• Paris was prophesied to be the downfall of Troy
• Helen was "most beautiful woman on earth," wife of Menelaus, and daughter of Leda and Zeus

Gods who sided with:

• Trojans: Aphrodite, Ares, Apollo, Artemis sided with the Trojans
• Greeks: Hera, Poseidon, Hermes, Hephaestus, and Athena

Achilles

• The son of Peleus and Thetis
• Could die of old age after uneventful life, or die young in battlefield at River Styx
• Asked "Do you not see what a man I am, how huge, how splendid and born of a great father and mother who bore me immortal?"
• Patroclus was a best friend of Achilles who was murdered by Hector
• Hector died at the end of the Iliad

The Odyssey

• Odysseus a hero in the Trojan War who conceived the Trojan horse idea
• Penelope Odysseus' wife who waited patiently for him for 20 years
• Telemachus Odysseus' son, Odysseus said that when Telemachus grew his beard, Penelope could remarry
• Athena Odysseus' protector
• Poseidon held grudges against Odysseus and caused his mishaps
• Circe turned Odysseus’ crew into animals
• Calypso trapped Odysseus on her island and fell in love with him
• Ithaca Odysseus’ homeland
• Trojan Horse a symbol of deceit and betrayal
• Thanatos is the god of death in Greek myth

Jason and the Golden Fleece

• King Pelias (Iolcos, Thessaly) is Jason's Uncle, who stole the throne
• Pelias set Jason on the quest to find the Golden Fleece
• Colchis is where Jason is to retrieve the Golden Fleece
• King Aeetes reigned Colchis
• Phineas gave a dove to Jason and his crew
• This was after they helped him deal with the harpies
• Medea helped Jason with her father’s tasks
• Euripedes wrote Medea to criticize Greek behavior

Oedipus (Sophocles)

• also known as "the one with swollen feet"
• King Laius and Queen Jacosta were Oedipus' parents
• Polybus and Merope, a royal couple from Corinth, became Oedipus' adoptive parents
• The crossroad symbolizes the important decision he made
• The Oracle of Delphi said that Oedipus would marry his mother and kill his father

Antigone (Sophocles)

• Eteocles and Polyneices were Oedipus’ sons who killed each other for the throne
• Creon replaced Oedipus and was Jacosta’s brother
• Antigone tried to bury her brother Polyneices against Creon’s order
• Ismene did not agree with Antigone’s plan

Sisyphus

• He was the king of Corinth
• He is condemned in the underworld
• He is to forever roll a huge stone up a hill
• Daedalus and Icarus are the subjects in Mythic history portrayed in “Musee de Beaux Arts”

8 Brief Tales

• Pyramus and Thisbe
• Orpheus and Eurydice
• Ceyx and Alcone
• Pygmalion and Galatea
• Baucis and Philemon
• Endymion (and Selene)
• Daphne (and Apollo)
• Alpheus and Arethusa

Arcadia

• A region that worships Pan
• Psyche enlightened Cupid's face in the middle of the night, which is a sign of betrayal

Norse Mythology

• Yggdrasil is the World Tree
• Aesir are the battle gods and live in Asgard
• Vanir are the magical gods
• Odin is known as the "Raven god"
• Ravens: Huginn and Munin
• Thor is depicted as relentlessly pursuing his foes with his mountain-crashing thunderous hammer called Mjolnir
• Valhalla is where dead Norse heroes go to train for Ragnarok

Overview of folk literature, mythology, and myths. Includes the story of Gilgamesh, a Mesopotamian hero and the son of the goddess Ninsun. Explores flood myth patterns and common themes.